Dismay over leaked draft Supreme Court opinion prompts abortion rights rally in Doylestown

Kelly DeJong was 19 years old and in college when she learned she was pregnant.

Scared and depressed over the idea of having a baby at such a young age, she made the difficult decision to get an abortion.

“I was very nervous, but I felt like an abortion was the right choice for me at the time. I was able to finish my degree and move on with my life and choose when I got to have my family on my time,” shared DeJong, who is now a 43-year-old mother of two girls.

“Being here today is important now because of them,” she added. “I think that being able to have an abortion safely in a medical environment, not having to leave the state, means that it’s safe and accessible.”

DeJong was among the dozens who gathered Tuesday in Doylestown Borough for a rally demanding protection of abortion rights in response to a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion favoring a decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

On Monday, Politico published the leaked draft opinion, setting off fervent reactions across the country in the controversial debate over abortion. The Supreme Court verified the authenticity of the leaked draft opinion Tuesday, saying an investigation into the leak has been launched.

Politico said the draft originally circulated in February, two months after oral arguments in a case considering a direct challenge from the state of Mississippi to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. A ruling on Mississippi's law banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is expected this summer.

"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the draft obtained by Politico. "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled."

Upon hearing the news, Solebury resident Erin Kershaw and her 16-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, organized the rally as a call to action urging people to contact their lawmakers and donate to groups like NARAL Pro-Choice America, an organization advocating for reproductive rights.

“Human rights are something our family is very passionate about in general, but when we woke up this morning and learned what was going on we knew we needed to do something,” said Kershaw, who works as a homebirth midwife.

Kershaw worries if the court issues a final decision this summer, overturning Roe v. Wade, it would set off a wave of legislative attacks on reproductive health care rights and beyond.

“If this happens, then there are conservative Republicans who aren’t going to stop at just giving states the power, they’ll want to pursue a federal ban. They’ll also go after contraceptive access, LGBT rights, maybe gay marriage," she said.

“And if they shut down Planned Parenthood, it is not just shutting down abortions, it’s shutting down access to medical care, like routine screenings and that’s not OK. It’s not going to stop at this and that’s scary.”

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Kaitlyn Kershaw said she felt it was important to stand up for the rights of everyone to choose.

"I believe women like me, and future generations, should have the right to safe abortions and should choose for their bodies," she said. “I really hope that none of my future kids or grandchildren are here in the future doing this exact same thing.”

Demonstrators lined the sidewalks at the corner of Main and State streets, outside the old county courthouse, carrying signs with messages like, “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries,” and “If my uterus shot bullets you wouldn’t want to regulate it.”

They were met with responses from drivers. Some honked in support, while others expressed their opposition, yelling responses like, “baby killers,” as they drove past the crowd.

The rally included speakers like Rommy Driks, of Doylestown, who emphasized that criminalizing abortions wouldn’t stop the procedures, but eliminate access to safe abortions, especially for people in marginalized communities.

“This is also going to affect poor women and women of color, both marginalized people in our communities and people with uteruses. Let’s also not forget trans men are also included in this,” said Driks.

“So, when we are fighting, we are fighting for all of our sisters, not just our 'cis-ters'. Take all of this anger, take all of this frustration, and take it to the polls in November.”

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero also spoke, expressing his fears that an overturning of Roe v. Wade would lead to a further dismantling of constitutional rights.

“It is potentially so sweeping to do away with the privacy rights that we have under the United States Constitution,” said Santarsiero, D-10, of Lower Makefield.

“The right to an abortion, gone. The right to marry who you love, gone. The right to enjoy privacy in your own home, all these rights gone. This will be a new era in the United States unless each and every one of us rises up and says no.”

On Tuesday, the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia issued a statement celebrating what the group felt was a possible milestone in their fight to eliminate abortion.

“What a wonderful opportunity. We hope and pray that the final decision looks like the draft. It will be a momentous victory for our nation, for women and families, and for the unborn,” said Tom Stevens, President and CEO of the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia, in the statement.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Doylestown abortion rights rally calls for protection after leaked draft opinion